


Supply & Demand

by SophnLiv



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: F/M, Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, Klaroline, Klaroline AU Week, Klaus - Freeform, Romance, Studying, caroline - Freeform, caroline x klaus - Freeform, carolineforbes, carolinexklaus, klaroline au, klaroline human au, klaroline one shot, klaroline study session, klarolineoneshot, klaus mikaelson - Freeform, klaus x caroline - Freeform, klausxcaroline, supply&demand, tvd, tvd fanfic, tvd fanfiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23660254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophnLiv/pseuds/SophnLiv
Summary: Caroline is totally failing econ. How is she going to achieve her five-year plan if she fails this class? She needs help so she can ace this presentation, so she asks a TA for some help. What she didn't expect is that he would be so good looking and quick-witted.Klaroline AU
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	Supply & Demand

The light filters in through the stained glass window of the library with frustrating accuracy. The red, blue, and yellow hues sparkling over my computer screen and blocking my view of the PowerPoint I’m trying to put together.

“Ugh!” I grumble out in annoyance, banging my hand down on the table with a hard thwap. I shift my laptop around the table trying to find a position or angle where I can see the screen clearly. 

Doesn’t the sun know I have a very important project to finish?

“Having a bit of trouble there, love?” A soft yet gravelly voice says from behind me. 

I startle and whirl towards the voice, finding a person I’ve never seen before. His head is full of luscious blonde curls and his chin covered in a small splattering of a beard. His eyes peer down at me, I’m unsure if they are blue or green. It seems the stained glass is affecting more than just my computer screen. 

“Can I help you?” I ask. A little stunned by his obvious beauty but also peeved by being interrupted in the middle of my study session. 

His brows bunch in confusion, “You’re Caroline Forbes, correct?”

My eyes narrow. “Who wants to know?” 

A small smile spreads across his face. “I’m Klaus Mikaelson, your tutor—“

“Shh!” My eyes go wide and peer around to the other students nearby. Phew, no one is looking over here or within earshot. “Don’t say that so loud!” 

He chuckles softly, sitting down. 

“There is nothing to be ashamed about.” His voice lowers to a conspiratorial whisper, “even some of the brightest students in school can need a tutor every now and then.” 

Not me. 

I’m at the top of my class in my major. And let me tell you I pride myself on that. The competitiveness in me thrives on it and uses it to propel me forward. 

The one thing that is standing in my way is economics. In the journalism department it’s mandatory to take eight credits of economics to complete the major. I’ve been putting it off forever, wanting to focus more on the classes that I’m actually interested in before buckling down and taking a requirement. But now here I am, senior year of college and still having to take 200 level Econ classes in order to graduate. 

I thought it wouldn’t be an issue. I thought it would just teach me how to learn about supply and demand and I would be on my merry way. What I did not expect is to be sitting on the third floor of the library during spring break fuming over trying to predict how graphs will turn out and about to fail the class. 

Well, not fail totally. But I have to get better than a C- for it to count towards my degree and to get credit since my major has high standards for classes. Right now I am barely scraping by. This course is not only killing my pride but also bringing down my overall GPA.

I bristle at his comment. I don’t need a tutor.

I put my hand up, my palm facing him.

“This is not a tutoring session, this is just a student asking a Teaching Assistant for help with the class that he TA’s for.”

Klaus leans back in his chair, his eyebrows raising.

“That would be true under normal circumstances, but this is out of office hours since it’s spring break,” he sets his chair back on all four legs and leans towards me, “so technically this is a tutoring session.” 

And then he winks. 

I lock my jaw in order to restrain myself from retorting something smart and end up without his help for this project. I’m gripping the sides of my laptop tightly, my fingers straining with the effort. Rolling my shoulders back, I try to relax my posture to look less like a witch hunched over a cauldron and more like a normal person at a desk. 

Come on, Caroline. You just need to pass this class to graduate and then you begin your fabulous PR career. This person is a tool you can use to help you pass the class. Focus. 

“Sorry,” I mutter, the word tasting like salt on the way out, “I understand the difference now.”

I tap my finger on the touchpad to wake my laptop up from sleep mode in order to pull the power point back up and gesture from the screen to him. 

“I don’t understand how to make my supply and demand graph shift correctly in order to accurately show the progression of the product need.” 

Klaus leans in closer to get a better look at my screen, and I am suddenly aware of how delectable he smells, something earthy and also the distinct smell of man. It makes me wonder how old he is, if he’s in grad school and is just a teaching assistant. I turn my chin just a smidge to get a better look at his side profile. His stubble looks rugged, yet somehow soft. . . I wonder what it would be like to rub my cheek against it—

“—are you listening to anything I’m saying?” Klaus demands as he turns to face me more fully.

I can feel heat traveling up from my chest all the way to the tips of my ears. “I—I’m sorry,” I stutter, trying to recover, “I don’t follow, can you explain that again?” 

He smirks, one of his eyebrows raising. His eyes give me a once over before he lets out a small sigh. I can feel the warmth pass across my neck and it takes just about everything in me to not shiver. 

“I was just explaining that you put your variables on the wrong axises,” he says as he points to the screen to show me. “It’s an honest mistake but one that will completely confuse you if you do it constantly.”

“This class is difficult because I’m a complete and utter moron and not because it’s actually hard?!” I rasp out in frustration, about ready to pull my hair out.

Klaus’s eyebrows bunch together. “You’re not a moron, Caroline. Like I said, anyone could make that mistake, but you must get this straight or else it’s going to be very confusing on the test when you have to select the correct graph for the problem.”

He changes the axises for me and the graph changes and looks like the ones in the textbook. 

I hold my hand up towards him again. “I need to get through this presentation before I worry about the exam.” 

“You don’t even have to present in front of the class, you just have to submit a video of yourself giving it, you’ll do just fine. If you can talk half as well as you talk to your friend during lecture then I’m sure you’ll do great.”

My head whips around. “Excuse me?”

He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. 

“I sit in the back of every class and monitor everyone’s screen time, you don’t think I can see you chatting with the brunette all throughout class?” he must mean Elena, “maybe if you spent more time paying attention to the professor then you wouldn’t need a tutor.”

For a moment I’m stunned that he has the gall to call me out so blatantly like that, but I recover quickly barely missing a beat.

“It must be so nice to be such a glorified babysitter,” I fire back, “checking to make sure everyone isn’t on Facebook during class. You’re really putting that Bachelor's degree of yours to good use.” 

Klaus’ grimace almost inches up in amusement before it settles. 

“Actually, I have my Master’s and am currently working towards my PhD.”

I roll my eyes. “Like I give a shit.”

“You’ve got quite a smart mouth on you, Caroline.”

I bunch my hand into a fist, my nails biting into the flesh of my palm. Do. Not. Blush.

“Are you going to help me pass this class or not?” I scowl at him with the full force of my blue eyes.

Klaus licks his lips. “I didn’t know you were in danger of not passing.” 

He’s such a liar, he's a TA! Isn’t that one of their lame duties, doing the work the teachers hate? Entering grades and teaching study sessions? 

“Listen here, Klaus Mikaelson,” I point my finger at his chest, pressing into it with my manicured nail, “I need to pass this class so that I can graduate, move to LA, and begin working my dream job so I can start my five year plan, and currently you are not fulfilling your job as a teaching assistant as you are, in fact, not teaching!” 

My voice echoes off the walls of the library and I’m thankful that we seem to be the only people in this area now. 

The force of my anger has pushed me forward, but he doesn’t budge. The pressure from my finger or the sharpness of my nail doesn’t seem to affect him at all. 

Suddenly, he grabs my hand with a sharp force but doesn’t remove it from his chest. His strength shows that he could if he wanted, but for some reason he doesn’t. 

“Caroline, trust me, there are plenty of things I could teach you. All you have to do is ask.”

He uses my hand to pull me forward, I’m jolted, and now no longer eye level with him. Looking up under my lashes I can see a gleam in his browned butter colored eyes, the light from the stained glass window almost completely diminished. Without looking in a mirror I know that my face is a shade of pink, if not red judging by the heat radiating off of me. This close his scent is intoxicating, each breath I take is filled with his cologne and it leaves a sweet taste on my tongue. 

My breath hitches when he leans infinitesimally forward his eyes on mine the entire time he descends until his lips brush mine. 

Klaus’ lips singe mine and I can feel my blush go from a light pink to a deep scarlet. My breath whooshes out of me and I have to break away to catch my breath. When I pull away he reaches up and wipes his thumb across my lips and smirks like he can feel the scorch marks. Before he has a chance to make some snide remark, I latch onto the collar of his flannel and pull him back in. 

Our lips crash together like two magnets and his hand reaches up and gathers within my blonde curls. A small, guttural moan escapes my mouth and I can feel his lips quirk up into a smirk. It makes me grab up tighter, this time tightening my fingers around his neck. He kisses me so forcefully I know my lips will be swollen tomorrow, and maybe that’s what he is hoping for. The sound of paper and metal scratching against wood stirs me and I see he’s moving my laptop and notes aside. 

Swiftly, he lifts me from the chair and plants me on the table where my belongings used to sit. He stands and settles his torso between my knees and brings his hands to either side of my chin, and lets out a low growl before he kisses me again. I can feel my heart beating, beating, beating, in my chest so fast it feels like it might jump right out. 

How can this obstinate man make me feel like putty in his hands? 

Klaus moves from my lips and starts down the side of my neck, sucking on my pulse point before grazing it with his sharp teeth. The small feeling of pain is quickly kissed away. I have never had a kiss like this before. 

“I told you I could teach you many things, love,” he whispers into my ear.

My ire comes back, albeit much less than before.

“Shut up, Klaus.” 

“Whatever you want, Caroline,” he says and I bring his lips back to mine. 

By the time the sun has fully disappeared and we are in a dark room lit only by the lamps outside, I realize the library is closed for the night. 

Breaking apart I rasp out, my voice hoarse from lack of use. “I think we’re going to need to schedule more tutoring sessions, just to make sure everything we went over today really solidifies.”

Breathlessly he agrees. “How about tomorrow, sweetheart?” His smirk coming back to his lips. 

I nod vigorously and pull him back to me content to continue this tutoring session in the dark.


End file.
